Game:

Blinx: The Time Sweeper (2002)

Duration: 8:46

28,823 views

0

Testing out the new (old) Xbox I got by recording an Xbox game I recently bought, Blinx: The Time Sweeper. I also bought a special adaptor for my Xbox so it can capture at the maximum quality I'm currently allowed with S-Video (which also means no more crashing and much less agonizing recordings). Seems to work pretty good.

Blinx was one of the first Xbox games and was hyped a bit upon arrival, but when it was released and people got a taste of the finished product, it was met with mediocre reviews and a lot of criticism. Being developed by the little-known developer, Artoon (comprised of EX-Sega members, one of their most successful franchises is the "Pinobee" titles), they had all the right ideas but stumbled on the execution. Blinx isn't a terrible game in and of itself (and in essence has a pretty classic feel and seems like it would've been more at home on the Dreamcast... it feels like a Sega product, but some of what's in Blinx cannot be replicated on the Cast), expectations were just high.

In the game, you are fighting to stop a wily gang of anthropomorphic pigs known as the Tom-Toms, mischievous controllers of Space who steal time crystals and sell them to other worlds and to the highest bidders for self-gain. You control Blinx, an employee (Time Sweeper) of the Time Factory, a place full of anthropomorphic cats that controls the flow of time and packages it to other worlds while stopping any time-related anomalies or glitches. While the sweepers are familiar with the Toms, the Toms get out of hand when they find and steal huge deposits of time crystals and kidnap the princess of world B1Q64.

However, what the Toms didn't count on was the rate at which the time crystals were being distorted by being improperly used. They started becoming serious glitches and some became huge monsters, and the distortions were spreading and could destroy the universe. To stop this, the Time Factory was to make the ultimate sacrifice by evacuating everyone and then seperating Q1B64 from the Time Factory, keeping Q1B64's time forever frozen so no more glitches would arise. This also means the loss of world B1Q64 and leaving the princess in the hands of the Toms. Being the only one brave enough to try, Blinx tries to fix the glitches and save the princess, but does he have enough time on his side?

Blinx is criticized largely for its time collecting and use mechanics, and the dumb tutorial help crap, but one must keep in mind that Blinx was (at the time) one of the first "next-gen" games to utilize time controlling in the gameplay in such a way, predating such titles as Clover's Viewtiful Joe, where time and planning could afford more sophistication and being 2.5D, VJ could use a time manipulation system that was easier to implement. Artoon also simply can't compete with the financial powers of Capcom, nor do they have the same expertise. Considering these things (and it being rushed to market), I thought Blinx was a somewhat valiant effort with visuals that far surpassed pretty much anything they'd make before or after (sans Blinx 2 and BD)...unless you'd prefer more "Pinobee" style graphics on the Xbox.

In the game, you go from level to level cleaning up all the monsters (glitches) and stopping Toms, until you get to the boss of the world. Blinx can purchase different items to help on his quest and can earn various rewards for collecting secrets and doing other tasks. The game allows Blinx to utilize "Time Controls", the game's selling point. Pause time to stop everything but you, fast forward and slow time to manipulate enemies and obstacles, rewind to return things to what they were and reach new areas, or record and fight with a double who did what you did, though you can act differently. Gaining the controls you want can be harder than its supposed and many hate the game's ten minute level limit, but its playable overall. Enjoy.

Other Statistics